Shelf support



April 30, 1963 Filed Feb. 1'7, 1961 FIG. l.

H. ANDERSON SHELF SUPPORT FLG. 2.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FICLB.

INVENIOR April 30, 1963 A. H. ANDERSON SHELF SUPPORT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 1'7, 196].

A. H. ANDERSQN United States Patent 3,087,702 SHELF SUPPORT Alfred H. Anderson, Youngstown, Ohio, assignor to The General Fireproofing Company, Youngstown, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Feb. 17, 1961, Ser. No. 90,015 4 Claims. (Cl. 248-243) This invention relates to a device for selectively locating a shelf at a desired elevation on a perforated post or the like in a stack of shelving, or, a similar member in a cabinet having a plurality of shelf positions.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a de-v vice in the nature of a two-part clip comprising a base manually connectable and disconnectable to the shelf and a shelf supporting member pivotally connected thereto. While it is preferred to make the parts of the clip out of strip sheet metal which has a reasonable degree of resilience and also lends itself particularly to die stamping operations, thereby permitting mass production on an economical basis, nevertheless, other forms of material may be used such for example as many available plastics.

Another object of the invention is to provide a base which in effect acts as a hinge leaf for the shelf supporting arm, the said base being resilient enabling it to be manually readily compressed and when released locked in cooperating relation with an edge portion of the shelf, and equally readily removed, if required. Metal shelving, for example, is usually provided with longitudinal edges which serve to reinforce and finish the shelf in its final form. In most cases, these edges are bent inwardly and upwardly to provide a substantially U-shaped channel with respect to the underside of the shelf itself, while at the same time providing a smooth external surface to avoid injury to the hands during the operation of loading and unloading the shelf. The base of the present clip is intended to be yieldably interlocked with and masked by the underside of the shelf and its related longitudinal flange adjacent the keeper post which usually has a plurality of openings or equivalent keeper elements into which the arm of the clip may be inserted to support the shelf.

A further object of the invention is to provide a clip wherein the base may be readily shaped and formed in such a manner as to provide a resilient portion which not only enables the base, in its expanded condition, to be firmly interlocked with the shelf, but also provides a hinge knuckle in which a slotted leaf of the angular shelf supporting arm is free to move to engage and disengage a related keeper.

With the above and other objects in view which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the invention consists in the novel construct-ion, combination, and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the shelf supporting and keeper engaging arm of the clip.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the complementary attaching base of the clip.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the assembled parts of FIGS. 1 and 2 wherein the base and locking member are pivotally connected.

FIGURE 4 is a cross sectional view of the clip and a part of a shelf with the base of the clip about to be compressed, preliminary to interlocking the base with the shelf.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of FIG. 4.

FIGURE 5 is a detail sectional view showing the attaching member in the process of being compressed to engage with the shelf flange.

3,087,702 Patented Apr. 30, 1963 FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the parts shown in FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 6 is a view showing the base interlocked with a shelf flange and the locking member engaged with a keeper of the post.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the interlocked parts shown in FIG. 6.

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view showing how the parts appear either during initial interlocking or when the shelf is first lifted for the purpose of moving it to another elevation.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, of the drawing, it will be observed that the present invention includes a shelf supporting arm designated generally as A and an attaching base B.

The shelf supporting arm includes a body portion 1 and an offset finger 2 which, in the example shown, is narrower than the body 1. At the end of the body opposite the finger 2, there is an angularly disposed hinge leaf 3 having a slot 4. It will be understood that it is within the scope of the invention to make the body 1 and finger 2 of the same width instead of different widths as shown. In that connection the body of the supporting arm between the finger and the slotted flange 3 is intended when the clip is in use, to provide an abutment upon which the shelf designated generally as S is supported as shown, for example, in FIGS. 6 and 6*.

FIGURE 2 illustrates the complementary portion of the clip in the form of the aforesaid base B which includes a U-shaped body 5 whose substantially parallel legs have oppositely disposed flanges 6 and 7 located at opposite sides of the U-shaped bight portion 8.

As Will be seen from FIGURE 3, the arm A and the base B may be assembled by fitting the slot 4 of the leaf 3 over the flange 7 of the base and into the U-sha-ped bight portion 8. The shelf S shown in FIGURES 47 inclusive, preferably includes the usual load-supporting surface or top and a flange 9 along a longitudinal edge, the said flange bent horizontally inward as indicated at 10 and thence upwardly substantially parallel to the outer wall 9 to provide a lip 11.

It will now be seen that the clip assembled as shown in FIGURE 3 can be applied to the shelf S by placing the flange 7 of the base B behind the lip 11 while the bight portion 8 and flange 6 are disposed in a position so that the flange 6 may be flexed through said bight portion 'by finger pressure or with the aid of a suitable tool T (FIG. 5). The effect of such pressure, however, ap plied will be to compress the lower leg of the attaching base in a manner to bring the flange 6 into engagement with the rear face of the front flange 9 of the shelf. Thus, the arm A and its finger 2 are free to swing downwardly so that said finger may be manually directed to enter a related keeper opening 12, for example, in a post P or its equivalent.

As will appear from FIGS. 6 and 6 the finger 2 or its equivalent engages the keeper element 12 and the body 1 of the arm A passes beneath the flange 10 to support the shelf S.

In the event that it is desired to disconnect the arm A and its finger 2. from a related keeper, it only becomes necessary to lift the shelf S as shown in FIGURE 7 to cause withdrawal of the finger from the keeper.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention is readily made by simple manufacturing procedures, and may be assembled with facility as shown in FIGURE 3, so that its base B may be detachably connected to the shelf S without the necessity of welding or other means of attachment, because the flanges 6 and 7 are expanded into gripping engagement with. the. shelf.

Once the base B is in place, the arm A is free to swing either into shelf-supporting or shelf-releasing position.

I claim:

1. A clip for locating an adjustable shelf having an edge at a selected elevation on a support having a plurality of keeper positions, said clip comprising, a base manually connectable and disconnectable to and from said shelf edge, said base being of substantially U-shaped formation and having oppositely disposed attaching flanges and an intervening resilient bight portion forming a resilient hinge knuckle, and an arm pivoted in said knuckle.

2. A clip for locating a shelf having an edge at a selected elevation on a support having a plurality of keepers, said clip comprising, a base manually connectable and disconnectable to and from a shelf edge, said base being of substantially U-shaped formation and having oppositely disposed attaching flanges and a resilient bight portion forming a resilient hinge knuckle and an arm of angular formation including a slotted leaf and fitted to the knuckle portion of the body for relatively free swinging movement with respect to the shelf and to lie beneath and abut with an edge of the shelf while a portion of the arm is engaged with a selected keeper.

3. A clip for locating an adjustable shelf at a selected elevation with respect to a post having a plurality of keeper elements, comprising, a U-shaped sheet-metal connector member having leg portions, flanges offset from the ends of said leg portions in opposite directions and when first compressed and then released adapted to firmly engage the shelf, and a sheet metal shelf supporting arm including a shelf-edge abutting body portion having a slotted angularly disposed leaf at one end to fit over one of said legs and rest in the bight of the U-shaped portion of the connector portion, and means at the end of said shelf abutting body portion opposite the leaf for cooperation with a selected keeper element.

4. A clip for mounting shelves on a post, including, a shelf-supporting member having angularly disposed portions, one of said portions adapted to engage the post and the other having a slot, and a shelf-attaching member having spaced connected legs each provided with terminal oppositely disposed offset flanges, one of said legs fitted in said slot to interconnect the said shelf-supporting member and the shelf-attaching member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A CLIP FOR LOCATING AN ADJUSTABLE SHELF HAVING AN EDGE AT A SELECTED ELEVATION ON A SUPPORT HAVING A PLURALITY OF KEEPER POSITIONS, SAID CLIP COMPRISING, A BASE MANUALLY CONNECTABLE AND DISCONNECTABLE TO AND FROM SAID SHELF EDGE, SAID BASE BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED FORMATION AND HAVING OPPOSITELY DISPOSED ATTACHING FLANGES AND AN INTERVENING RESILIENT BIGHT PORTION FORMING A RESILIENT HINGE KNUCKLE, AND AN ARM PIVOTED IN SAID KNUCKLE. 